Online Courses and Degrees in Dance Education

Find out about online dance education courses and in which educational programs they're most commonly offered. Get course descriptions, program info and online requirements to make an informed decision.

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Essential Information

Dance education online courses and degrees place focus on developing expertise and knowledge of dance theory and the human experience through the physical movement of dance and practice. These programs are for current dance teachers or other instructors who are already licensed and who wish to incorporate dance into their curricula. Formal degree programs as well as continuing education courses may be available online or in a hybrid format that combines distance instruction with in-person classes. Both program formats may also require fieldwork and access to a classroom with students.

Continuing Education Classes

Some schools allow students to earn continuing education credits online, which are non-college credit coursework, to develop and enhance instructor's dance education training. Students are required to have access to a classroom or a group of students for completion of this program. This program is recommended for teachers desiring to add dance into their teaching curriculum whether they are educators in a classroom, home school, private or studio instructors.

Common Coursework

Through interactive multimedia and textbook instruction, dance instructors will develop skills to take back to their students through coursework focusing on:

Introducing Dance in a Classroom Setting

Getting Students Interested in Dance

Dance Materials and Practical Uses

Master of Arts in Dance Education

Universities that offer online master's degrees in dance education usually require some on-campus coursework or workshops as well as fieldwork components that require access to students in a school setting. These hybrid programs require students to have a bachelor's degree, which may need to include undergraduate credits related to dance. Graduate programs in this field are often designed for experienced teachers who already have an initial teaching license.

Common Coursework

The curriculum in an online master's program focuses on dance education theories and their application in learning environments. Graduate students typically have to complete a thesis or major project as their culminating experience. Coursework in these dance distance learning programs may include the following:

Dance History and Theory

Individual Practice

Advanced Dance Methods

Creating a Dance Curriculum

Choreography

Human Development and Learning

Learning Environment

Considering the obvious physical nature of dancing, it shouldn't be a surprise that some in-person instruction and fieldwork is often required in distance learning dance education programs. Outside of such on-site components, online students can access their coursework when it fits their schedules by logging on to a school's virtual classroom. These sites hold lectures, assignments and communication tools for professor-student interaction.

Many online degree programs and courses in dance education are available for licensed teachers or instructors who wish to incorporate the subject into their teaching repertoire. However, due to the nature of dance, many of these programs require some degree of in-person instruction or fieldwork.